HIGH LIFE: A WEEKLY FORUM FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS : Fear of the Future Is Real in the Present

Franklin Delano Roosevelt said, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

Right. But when’s the last time our country’s 32nd President had to face a physics exam or possible rejection from the college of his choice?

Irrelevant, you say, as Roosevelt died in 1945; nevertheless, the teen-age years can still be fraught with frights. Hot Topics wonders, “As a high school student, what is your biggest fear and why?”

“My biggest fear right now is what is going to happen after graduation. Right now, I feel very complacent. If college could be compared to driving, I only see the turn. But I don’t see the road ahead.”

Helen Afrasiaei, 17,

senior, Mater Dei

“Bad grades and low SAT scores. There is also the fear of not living up to my potential and becoming a flake.”

Melody Yam, 15,

junior, Marina

“That I’ll forget to get dressed in the morning and come to school naked.”

Ryan Hamilton, 18,

senior, St. Margaret’s

“Getting out of school. The reason is you have to start taking care of yourself. You have to get a job and start paying your own bills. That is why I don’t want to graduate.”

Jason Powell, 18,

senior, San Clemente

“Having to face all of the racist, sexist, insecure, homophobic, ignorant people that need to learn a little more about life in the real world.”

Tara Samiy, 16,

junior, Brea-Olinda

“As a freshman, my biggest fear is doing something wrong and making a senior mad.”

John Collvin, 14,

freshman, Rancho Alamitos

“To get rejected by the college of my choice.”

Travis Mizell, 15,

sophomore, Katella

“My biggest fear is walking through the campus and getting dumped on by a bird.”

Yuli Liu, 17,

senior, University

“Death. High school students are young and still have a lot to live (for), learn and see.”

Elizabeth Mencto, 17,

senior, Los Amigos

“Being told at the last minute that I don’t have enough units to graduate.”

Cora Tu, 17,

senior, Buena Park

“That my socks won’t match.”

Nayis Abdullah, 18,

senior, El Dorado

“That I am not doing the things now that I will be wishing I would have done after I graduate.”

Dylan Lovett, 17,

junior, Edison

“Slacking off and getting on my teacher’s bad side.”

Nancy Pham, 17,

senior, Saddleback

“Having people ask me what I want to do, because I have absolutely no clue as to what I want to do.”

Steve Tsoness, 17,

senior, Huntington Beach

“My biggest fear is physics. Sometimes I have no idea of what is going on.”

Chris Kern, 17,

senior, Mater Dei

“Embarking into the real world after college because our President is planning on making me, and the rest of the high-income bracket, make more ‘sacrifices.’ ”

Daryl Singhi, 17,

senior, Marina

“That I won’t get to be an actress because I do not have the talent. I really want to be part of the Hollywood crowd, but I do not know if I will ever get there.”

Sima Aboughazaleh, 16,

sophomore, San Clemente

“My biggest fear is after graduating from high school, having to ‘leave the nest’ and make it out in the real world on my own.”

Stacey Pechan, 17,

senior, Brea-Olinda

“Graduating. I don’t want to go into the real world.”

Katie Karelius, 16,

junior, St. Margaret’s

“Losing my boyfriend to some other girl.”

Mailinh Miller, 15,

sophomore, Rancho Alamitos

“Not getting into a good college.”

Nan Thipsathiankul, 17,

junior, Katella

“Achieving. Because if you don’t do well in high school, you can’t get anywhere in life.”

Chris Toomey, 15,

sophomore, University

“Failure.”

Misty Sandord, 15,

freshman, Los Amigos

“Working hard to achieve a goal, whether it be academically or athletically, and not being able to accomplish it.”

Sylvia Valeriano, 17,

senior, Buena Park

“One day waking up and finding out that I’m just like everyone else.”

Kiran Jain, 15,

junior, El Dorado

“That this country, along with the world, is losing its strength. Communications between nations is being misinterpreted, and these nations’ leaders are not listening to each other and cooperating with each other.”

Ranya El-Ahraf, 16,

sophomore, Edison

“That I won’t be able to go to the university of my dreams and have to settle for a community college.”

Hason Vu, 18,

senior, Saddleback

“My biggest fear as a high school student is that I am being pushed into life too quickly and will be forced into a profession that I don’t like.”

Brian Atkinson, 18,

senior, Huntington Beach

Next Week’s Hot Topic:

If you could relive a moment or experience from your life, what would it be?

Responses gathered by Hallie Kim (Brea-Olinda), Sam Kang (Buena Park), David Brinkman (Edison), Sunshine Arena (El Dorado), Morgan Howard (Huntington Beach), David Fitzgerald (Katella), Jennifer Chau (Los Amigos), Veronica Lee (Marina), Caroline Lynch (Mater Dei), Detra Vickers (Rancho Alamitos), Regina Hoang (Saddleback), Brooke Lyons (St. Margaret’s), Nancy Kurtz (San Clemente) and Eileen Hsu (University).